Chapter 3

           The next day, Daehyun woke up to another extravagant breakfast and Himchan fawning over him, asking about his speech and if his uniform needed pressed. Himchan even went so far as to iron out the wrinkles in one of Daehyun’s masks to make sure he looked his best while standing at the podium in front of everyone. Daehyun wouldn’t have minded if Himchan ended up burning all his masks, giving him a reason to stay home.

           Yongguk had stayed up all night again, still working on his next explosive. Himchan almost blew up when Yongguk appeared in the kitchen sporting a large patch of singed hair on his left side. In the end, Yongguk got smacked all the way into the bathroom and forced into an emergency haircut because Himchan wasn’t going to allow Yongguk or anyone else to look disorderly on Daehyun’s big day.

            After dressing, eating, and dealing with Himchan’s constant nagging, they took the family car to the school to save time traveling. Daehyun mentally repeated his speech over and over again. He had written something short and to the point because he wanted to spend as little time as possible standing before his peers. It was bad enough he had to sit on stage during the entire ceremony, unable to hide from the eyes of the audience. He knew he would have to keep his composure by sitting up properly and pretending to be interested in what his instructors had to say or Himchan would scold him for being insolent in front of so many members of the community. For a moment, Daehyun was glad he still wore his mask because the crowd wouldn’t be able to see the large frown on his face, showing exactly how much he disliked his position on stage.

           Luckily, the graduation finished quickly and Daehyun’s role passed without difficulty. He had memorized his speech so well that he was able to mechanically reproduce it to the crowd without having to think much or dwell on the fact that all eyes were on him. Like most graduation speeches, he spoke about the future and making decisions. It wasn’t anything uplifting or exceptional. Daehyun actually felt contradictory because he was confused about his own future and here he was giving advice to his classmates who more or less knew exactly what they wanted to do with their lives. They were set, ready to pass into the next stage, while Daehyun was still sorting out his options.

           But Daehyun had a plan. During the weeks before graduation, he thought about what he wanted to do with his life. He mulled over different careers and how to approach a future lacking a partner. Of course finding a partner was not the only worry in his life, it just seemed like the most prominent one because of the way their society was set up. They were expected to pass through set stages in an escalator fashion. The system started with them training their bodies and minds, then finding a partner, then working for the society, and finally producing offspring to restart the escalator and keep it moving upwards to the future. Daehyun had missed a step on his way up the escalator. But apart from his issues with finding a partner, his other, underlying concern regarded the society itself and why there were so many gaps in the information given to the community. He felt like the government was keeping secrets, excluding important facts about their history and the creation of their people.

           As he became more and more educated, he realized there were a lot of things he still didn’t know, things school didn’t teach him, things no one else questioned. He began to wonder about the rules on the island and the governing body that told them how to live their lives. There was something about their confinement here that piqued his interest. He usually found himself by the shore, staring out at the sea and wondering what was out there, past the dome surrounding the island. They had been taught in their history classes that life away from the island was contaminated. From the creator’s point of view, the people on the island were of a higher class and they were to be kept separate until the outsiders diminished, but no one knew when that would happen.

           Those faceless outsiders intrigued Daehyun because of all the things he understood in his realm of intelligence, he knew nothing about them. He didn’t know what they looked like or how they lived. He wanted to know what made them so different from the people on the island. He wanted to know why they had been separated, secluded from one another. He wondered if the outsiders knew about them, if they were curious too. Even doing extensive research didn’t answer most of Daehyun’s questions. The e-books they were given on their tablets for school and common reading hardly mentioned outsiders and the few written texts in the communities private library only spoke of scientific and mathematic discoveries that outsiders had invented throughout history.

           There was no mention of these people’s lifestyles or where they were from. The only geographic knowledge that Daehyun had been taught was about land formations, which contained one insufficient comment on how large the world was in comparison to their island. The magnitude of the outside world fascinated Daehyun. He was desperate to learn more, but no one had any answers for him.

           During his moments of meditation at the shore, he was given a lead on how to answer his questions. Even though the outsiders were contaminated and the government wanted to keep them apart, the island still depended partially on the outside world. Occasionally, ships were sent outside the dome to pick up supplies and only high ranked government officials were allowed to board these ships. Daehyun researched the requirements needed to get into such a position that would allow him on those ships, but it would take years for him to obtain one and he didn’t want to wait years.

           In desperation he began to devise a plan, one that would lead him into a future of his own choosing. As graduation neared, Daehyun secretly prepared his escape from the island. He made sure not to act suspiciously or leave any traces of his plans lying around because he didn’t want his family to be affected by his decision. He simply had to act normal and bide his time until he could make his move. Honestly, he felt that fate conspired with him considering the way events matched up so perfectly. His mind and body told him that he would succeed in his scheme to leave the island; he just needed to be confident in his actions.

           For the moment, he had to get through the graduation ceremony as everyone expected him to, which was fairly easy. The after graduation ritual would be his biggest obstacle though. Part of the community’s traditions involved graduating students performing an endurance test, a triathlon of sorts. Over the years, they participated in fitness tests of varying degrees and as they grew older the difficulty increased. Having reached graduation, they were expected to compete in the fitness course ranked highest in difficulty.

           Now that the ceremony had ended, the graduates were given time to meet up with their families and go home to prepare for the triathlon by eating and changing clothes. Daehyun’s parents met him behind the school, in the parking lot. Himchan received him with a great hug of congratulations on doing such an excellent speech. “See, that wasn’t so difficult,” he said.

           Daehyun hung his head. “I’m just glad it’s over.”

           “Me too,” Yongguk agreed. “I never liked sitting through ceremonies. They’re too long and stuffy. I’m ready to get out of this suit.” He began to tug on his tie, but Himchan smacked him arm away and pulled the tie back into place.

           “We are still in public. Act with decorum.” Himchan clearly wanted others to perceive their family as being composed. “Don’t embarrass Daehyun.”

           “He’s not embarrassing me.” Daehyun watched as Himchan frowned and lead Yongguk to their car, forcing him and Jongup to follow.

           “It doesn’t matter. It’s the principle of the thing. Yongguk should be aware of how much attention is on you today.”

           Daehyun noticed Himchan’s hidden concern as they got into the car. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m used to the stares and people thinking I’m not normal.”

           Himchan stared at Daehyun for a moment, wanting to say something but choosing to remain silent. He knew no amount of words would change anything for Daehyun. The more he tried to console his son, the more Daehyun felt burdened by Himchan’s actions, so they made a silent agreement a long time ago to drop the conversation when in moments like these.

           “Are you ready for the triathlon this afternoon?” Yongguk asked always knowing the perfect moment to change the conversation.

           Daehyun thought about his secret plans and what he needed to accomplish in the next few hours, mentally telling himself that this decision was the right one. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

           “You’ve done well so far. This one isn’t much different than the others.” Yongguk grinned at him through the rearview mirror as they made their way home. “Jongup, do you have any pointers for your brother?”

           Jongup had been in a world of his own since they left the school. He glanced to the front at their parents and then to Daehyun. “Pace yourself. Just take the run like you normally would. Be careful in the water because the waves looked choppy this morning. They’re pushing west and the course moves north around the island, so you’ll have to angle your strides in the water. When you get to the cliff, take the side farthest left. Most people will go for the right side because it’s closest to the course, but the left has better footholds. When you get to the top, stretch for at least a minute. It may slow you down, but your body will adjust better when you’re on the bike. Keep to right of the course on your way downhill and move to the left when you hit level ground. The wind will be working with you towards the end of the race, so you should be able to coast a bit.” He explained everything without pause and finished with a smile.

           Daehyun cocked his head to the side, raising his eyebrows. “How do you know all that?”

           “I did the course about a week ago on my own. I also woke up early to survey the conditions this morning. Based on how you’ve competed previously, you should finish with an average time of about an hour.”

           “Why did you…”

           “Just wanted to help you do your best. You’re not a bad athlete. If you just trained a little harder, your body would excel at a much higher level.”

           “Thanks for the help, but I’m happy with my current condition.”

           “If you say so.” Jongup shrugged and went back to staring out the window, not being one for small talk.

           Daehyun silently punched Jongup’s arm and pulled his mask down with his other hand, while sticking out his tongue when Jongup looked his way. They both laughed. In his mind, Daehyun thanked Jongup again for the useful information. He felt bad because he knew his family would be waiting for him at the finish line, but he would never show up, not if everything went according to plan. He could visualize the pain in Himchan’s face when they realize he’d gone missing and their frantic attempts at trying to find him. Silently, he sent them apologies for the pain he would cause them in the future.

           The course was set up in stages. This particular one started out with a five-kilometer all-terrain run, which started in town and passed through a forest and ended on the beach. From there, the runners would enter the water for a two-kilometer swim around part of the island. They were expected to end the swim at a hundred meter cliff. From there they climbed to the top and transitioned to the final stage, which was a twenty-kilometer bike ride. They were expected to finish the course within an hour and a half. The average time for most was an hour, which could easily beat any world record times for a normal person, but to those in the community this with a normal standard. People like Jongup could finish with even faster times as if it was the most natural thing to do.

           Everyone in the community competed in these courses randomly throughout the year and did so without prior warning. They were expected to maintain great physical condition at all times and be capable of participating in these events without needing any special training before hand. As part of the regulations, each person owned a trisuit, specially designed to serve him both in and out of the water. The special fibers of the suit helped maintain the person’s body temperature and worked as a second skin giving them optimum performance during the race. The trisuit was a sleeveless one-piece that ended just above the knees. For their feet, they wore slip on shoes that resembled cushioned toe socks, which could also be worn both in and out of the water. They were water-resistant and served as great sources of traction when it came to running, climbing, and biking.

           Younger community members were given special respirator facemasks; very similar to those they usually wear. They were made of a finely woven material and were designed to reproduce oxygen, while controlling the amount the person received at any given time. This helped improve lung capacity by limiting oxygen amounts and training each individual’s breathing habits. Since the mask was also water-resistant, it could be worn at all times during the fitness course and served as a great alternative to the regular masks. Fulfilling these fitness requirements started at a young age, which meant that all community members had been required to wear the mask when they first started training in order to keep their faces hidden. These masks had been marked as children’s training tools, which meant Daehyun felt completely juvenile and out of place while participating in the hardest fitness course on the island. It was just another thing to set him apart from the crowd.

           Daehyun started the race with everyone and as usual, his running partner was Yoseob. They usually kept pace with each other during the fitness events, pushing each other to continue to the finish. They physiques and stamina matched perfectly. During the first event, they finished with average times, right in the middle of the pack. Yoseob’s partner Doojoon was at the head of the group, along with the other sports players. When they reached the beach, Daehyun knew it was time to set his plan into motion. He started slowing down and allowed himself to be separated from Yoseob by the crowd of swimmers battling through the waves. He hated knowing that Yoseob would worry once he reached the top of the cliff and found that Daehyun hadn’t come up with him, but this was the safest way for him to escape the island without putting his friends and family in danger.

           The plan was for Daehyun to drift further up the beach and around the cliff. There was a small passing underneath the cliff, which lead to a cave closer to the harbor on the other side. Daehyun had found it some time ago while doing laps in the sea. From the cave he would sneak to the harbor and stealthily climb aboard the ship scheduled for afternoon departure. While doing research he found that the ships were used to retrieving supplies from the outside that the island couldn’t produce. Daehyun desperately wanted to reach the outside world and as he looked at the docking schedules weeks ago, he noticed that one particular ship’s time corresponded with his after graduation fitness race. He had a small interval of time to fight his way from the beginning of the race and to that ship, but he knew he could pull it off.

           Everything progressed smoothly right from the start of the race. Daehyun reached the cliffs with enough time to spare as he ducked under the water. For once, he was happy that he still had to wear his respirator because it provided him with oxygen while he traveled through the underwater passage to the cave on the other side of the cliff. Once there, his only problem was making sure the coast was clear in order for him to board the ship safely. Spending most of his time underwater, he approached the ship, finding that the most advantageous way to board was on the starboard side near the back of the ship. He climbed up using the chain from the anchor and slipped on deck, ducking through the cabin door and down into storage to hide. He had a few close calls, but he ended up safely tucked away behind some crates within the ship. All he could do now was wait until their arrival to their destination. It was probably one of the longest waits of his life, but this was what he wanted, an adventure far away from the island that would answer the questions plaguing his mind.

           While he’s on the ship and hidden away, Daehyun wondered what those on the island were thinking because he knew that by this time, they had realized something was wrong. As he’s traveling out to sea, Yoseob has finished the race and is waiting at the end for Daehyun to appear. Yoseob’s appearance without Daehyun raised enough worry for Himchan to cause a fuss. Yoseob felt sorry for losing track of Daehyun while they were in the water. Himchan insisted on them going back to the cliff in search for him, but their attempts resulted with no trace of Daehyun being found. This had never happened before among the community; no one had ever disappeared during a race or during any other instance for that matter. It was simply unheard of. The only cause of death in the community had been old age or some work related mishap. People just didn’t disappear.

           The thought of his family and friends worrying about his well being upset Daehyun, but he knew this would happen and he was willing to take the risk because life on the island had started to pale in comparison to his own expectations about life. Maybe it was because he was overly intelligent from the start, but once he started questioning his surroundings, Daehyun knew he would never be satisfied until he found his own answers and leaving Virility was the only logical way for him to do so after exhausting every e-book and written document available to him. Simply put, Daehyun had to go into the field and do his own research on his own terms. The government was hiding something from the community and he wanted to find out what it was for himself, without dealing with the biased answers he would receive by asking high-ranked officials. For some reason, a part of Daehyun told him that asking would only put his family in jeopardy and another part told him that his place was no longer on the island. Something relating to him didn’t exist within the confines of the dome and it called out to him in his dreams. With his place aboard the ship, Daehyun finally felt that he was in the right place for once and finally headed in the right direction.

           It took the ship almost half a day to get from the Island to its appointed dock in the outside world. Daehyun fell asleep during part of the trip, tired from having run and swam earlier in the day. The hour was still early and the sun hadn’t even hinted at the horizon when the ship rocked to a stop shaking Daehyun awake. Once he realized they were docking, he knew he had a limited amount of time to escape the ship without being seen; the only problem with his plan was that he knew absolutely nothing about this new location or where the crewmembers were in relation to current position. He needed to be cautious if he wanted to exit without being noticed.

           After surveying his surroundings with his eyes and ears, Daehyun waited for a clear opening. Once everything was quiet, he glided through the cabin’s corridors and peeked through the main entrance. Finding that the only crewmember around had his back turned to Daehyun, he decided to slip out of the cabin and back to the starboard side of the ship, so that he could shimmy down the anchors chain and swim to freedom.

           The air felt much cooler here and the water had a nice bite to it as Daehyun climbed down anchor, sunk into the water, and drifted away from the ship. He couldn’t help shivering due to the change in temperature. His trisuit kept his core warm, but his arms and legs could feel the change in the atmosphere and much like any normal person, he started feeling his limbs prick as the water began to numb them. Daehyun knew he had to get out of the water soon. Even though he could easily endure these circumstances longer than a normal person, that didn’t mean the uncomfortable, freezing liquid surrounding him didn’t affect his body.

           For safety reasons, Daehyun swam far up the docking area to be out of site from the ship when he finally stepped onto the soil of the outside world. He reached one of farther piers without being noticed, but as soon as he got to the ladder towards the foot of the pier, someone noticed him.

           “Isn’t the water too cold for swimming?” the stranger asked.

           Daehyun froze, both hands holding onto the ladder with his lower half still submerged in the water. The whole trip he had gone unnoticed and now that he had let his guard down someone took notice. He felt a tug in his chest as the voice was followed by footsteps that gradually made their way closer and closer to him, but he was too afraid to look up and acknowledge the faceless voice. For a moment, he wondered whether or not he should dive back into the water and swim away as quickly as possible.

           “You should hurry up and get out. You’re going to get sick if you don’t dry off.” The voice held an edge of concern. Its resonance caressed Daehyun’s ears like no other. He liked the voice of this stranger. It possessed him to turn his head up and finally add an image to the sound.

           As his head tilted back, he was met with a hand at the end of an extended arm, which connected with the small frame of a round-faced male. His heart began beating so rapidly; he felt his ears hum at the sudden circulation of blood. His body grew dizzy from the internal heat surging within him. It felt like the world was rotating around him and with just one connection of their eyes; Daehyun knew this was the partner he had been looking for. But the disappointment came as quickly as the jubilation because this guy that Daehyun felt so compelled towards with his entire being wasn’t wearing a mask and in Daehyun’s mind that meant he was already taken.

Yeah...I feel like this was a lot of explaining and summary and such, but there wasn't much character interaction and I just wanted to get the next point. So...ummm...I guess this works.

Well, thanks for reading, subscribing, and commenting <3

I'm glad so many are enjoying this AU!

<3 Jae